just in this afternoon isis now says the two attackers in california were supporters this after the fbi announced it is now investigating the massacre as an act of terror. >> we start the hour getting right to the live desk where scott macfarlane is covering several parts of this story. >> they stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack, the head of the investigation says he's not surprised that the terror group would try to link itself to the attack. there are reasons why the fbi is investigating this as an act of terror. one element is a facebook post that appeared minutes into the attack. posted by an alias account of tashfeen malik that praised the leader of the islamic state. the couple planned extensively which included the acquisition of high-powered weapons and explosives in the home. the couple tried to destroy evidence including crushing two cell phones that were found near

a car can in their apartment. james comey commented on today's developments. >> there's a lot of evidence in this case that doesn't quite make sense and so we're trying to be very thoughtful to understand it and to make sense of it so we understand the full extent of what we have here. so far we have no indication that these killers are part of an organized larger group or form part of a cell. there's no indication that they are part of a network. >> the fbi director says neither farook or malik were under active surveillance before the attack. chris? >> all right. thanks, scott. today we're getting an extraordinary look inside the apartment where the shooters lived. nbc news reporter kerry sanders toured the cluttered two-story townhouse and saw the baby's room. there was a crib, computer desk, toys, diapers, along with a trash bin full of shredded documents. on the morning of the shooting syed farook and tashfeen malik

left their 6-month-old daughter with the relative and the landlord aloud the journalists to get the look at the town home they were renting. >> we are also learning more about the victims of wednesday's massacre. damian meins was 58 years old. he was married and had two grown daughters. the family says he came out of retirement in september to work for the san bernardino county of environmental health working right alongside the suspected shooter. mothers and students were also among the victims. you can see their profiles in our nbc washington app. just open the app and search shooting victims. developing right now in northern virginia, a body has been found in a popular park in alexandria not far from potomac yard. you can see police swarm the area of four-mile park today and not far from the alexandria arlington line. investigators say they're treating it as a suspicious death.

our tracee wilkins is on the scene talking with police and working their sources. we'll update you as they come in. also developing right now in maryland, the whites ferry nearly floated downstream on the potomac river after it broke away from the underwater cable this guides it along. this is video from chopper 4. firefighters say there were a dozen cars onboard when the boat broke free about an hour ago. no one has been hurt, but a tugboat had to be brought in to haul that boat back to the shoreline. first at 4:00, an officer in the hospital right now after being critically injured in an awful drunk driving crash last night. this is officer noah leotta. police say a passing car hit him during a traffic stop on rockville pike in montgomery county. news 4's darcy spencer is live outside suburban hospital right now in bethesda. darcy? >> reporter: good afternoon. this is where the officer was taken and he continues to cling to life on these critical injuries. if you take a look behind me you

can see montgomery county police cruisers line up along georgetown road and there are officers in support of their fellow officer. i am told the chief is here and obviously close family and friends all hoping and praying that he will pull through from these life-threatening injuries. this officer is only 24 years old, and i'm told that he was doing what he is passionate about. he was out there trying to get impaired drivers off the road. that officer, as you said, identified as noah leotta. he was on the force since january 2013. he pulled over a driver on rockville pike last night and that's when he was struck and critically injured. the driver identified just this afternoon if 47-year-old luis reluzco was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence. he was required to submit a blood test to check for any drugs or potential alcohol in his system. the result of those tests are still pending. the officer was working a special holiday alcohol

enforcement program last night. that's something he volunteered for. >> it is ironic that here he was trying to keep the community safe and the roads safe for everyone, yet he was struck by someone who was suspected of having alcohol or drugs in his system. >> reporter: coming up on news 4 at 5:00, you will hear from two witnesses. i'll tell you what they saw and what they heard in this horrific crash last night. back to you. >> this dramatic video shows a fire that started shooting up several floors of an apartment building near u street. this is right in the middle of the bustling u street corridor at 12th street northwest. the fire started to a first-floor balcony and spread out four floors. d.c. fire is telling us the balconies are made of a combustible material and that's what led to the fire spreading into the walls of the building. the damage is to the point that several people will not be able to go back to live in those apartments. >> turning to storm team 4.

meteorologist veronica johnson joins us from the storm center. it's been a mild afternoon for early december, but how low is the mercury going to dip tonight? >> we're headed down into the 30s tonight, but at least we don't have the wind to deal with as has been the case over the last couple of days and of course, the fact that we had some dry conditions with sunshine today was awfully nice, too. right now we're in the 40s. 52, 51 degrees and folks down i-95 and quantico, fredericksburg and we dropped to 40 degrees under a clear sky by 11:00 and 30s by early tomorrow morning and there's the clear sky and as clear as it is, we have the international space station. and it will make a pass tonight and we've got that in a few. this is chris gordon at the courthouse in baltimore where a video was played for the jury today of the defendant. police officer william porter

being questioned by investigators who were looking into the death of freddie gray. >> the reporter tells two police detectives that he was called in as a backup and he found freddie gray face down. >> porter pulled him up to a bench, but didn't seat belt freddie gray in. porter said he asked gray, do you need a medic and gray said yes, but none was called. >> the question remains why didn't officer porter do more to call for medical attention, and that's something the prosecution will harp upon. >> reporter: all new at 5:00, we'll focus the most damaging evidence presented so far in the trial of baltimore police officer william porter. back to you. our coverage of the attack in san bernardino continues as muslim-americans say they're facing extreme backlash. just ahead, our david culver talks to a local imam about what

his community is doing to end the fear. >> are you angry at your brother-in-law for doing this? >> yeah. absolutely. very angry. >> a one-on-one interview with the killer's brother-in-law coming up.

>> we're gaining new insight about the san bernardino gunman, farhan khan says he's horrified by his relative's actions and he says he may have been brain washed and he can't understand why his brother-in-law chose violence over raising his infant daughter. >> some people cannot have kids. god gave you the gift of a daughter and you left that kid behind. what did you achieve? i don't know what message they have left. >> are you angry at your brother-in-law for doing this? >> yeah. absolutely. very angry. >> the 6-month-old girl is now in protective custody. khan says he's working with attorneys to try to adopt her. you can watch the entire interview tonight at 7:00 on nbc "nightly news." >> muslim and arab communities living in fear and uncertainty. we talked to a local imam about how they're handling the prejudice. and e. coli outbreak linked

and e. coli outbreak linked to chipotle

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let geico help you with renters insurance. we continue to follow the breaking news in san bernardino where the fbi is investigating that massacre as an act of terror. the killers crushed their cell phones and tried to erase their digital fingerprints. they think the woman pledged her allegiance to isis before the attack. >> we'll be bringing you news updates and on washington 4. >> in the wake of the latest attack. mosques in the washington area are opening their doors to local leaders. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver says they're hoping this move will help unite people of different faiths. >> david culver coming to you from falls church at the dhar al hidra mosque where leaders are gathering for prayer. we are joined by imam jahari. given the sense of despair that

we find ourselves in the nation and people pointing to the muslim religion out of fear and perhaps ignorance. where do you come down on this. >> you know, we are facing a reality that is serious. the tragedies in san bernardino draws together in a way that perhaps we don't want to be joined. there is a crisis, but i don't know that the crisis is really about muslims. 1% according to the fbi of terror attacks since 9/11 have been at the hands of muslims, but that's 1% too many. it just happens that right now we are in an era where it's associated with people who say they are muslim. >> how do you change that? >> we have to change that climate. the climate together. our neighbors coming to us and saying, imam, tell me about

islam. what does islam say about this. i have shared with my community, it's time for them to be ambassadors. not that they're going to convert people, but that their neighbors will lose their fear. this is a narrative that many people don't know. hopefully with good media like yours our people will get the message. we are all in this boat together. >> imam, thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> we really appreciate it. >> thanks for coming out. >> coming up, you'll hear from some of the local leaders who have gathered here today and why they felt it was so important to be here in falls church. that's coming up on news 4 at 5:00. in falls church i'm david culver. news 4. that outbreak of e. coli linked to chipotle has expanded to maryland. today the centers for disease control says one of case has been reported here. illinois and pennsylvania have been added to the list. it means a total of 52 people in nine states have now gotten sick

after eating at chipotle. the outbreak started back in late october and the cdc is trying to determine which ingredient is the culprit. they got the man who shot a police officer in aberdeen. you saw the story as it developed this morning in the nbc washington app. right now officer jason easton is in stable condition, but he'll need surgery to repair his damaged eye. he was called to a call of suspicious activity on ohio court and that's when tyler came out of the woods and came out shooting. police shut down schools as they searched for testerman for hours and finally tracked him down at his girlfriend's house and will be charged with attempted murder. >> they took her defamation lawsuit to court today in alexandria. >> assistant dean nicole aramo is suing rolling stone magazine for $7 million. they published the article about an alleged gang rain on campus. >> ramos says it cast her as the chief villain.

now she wants the female accuser in the article to testify and hand over her correspondent with rolling stone. our partners at wtop were at today's hearing anded federal judge in alexandria ruled that motion should be taken up by a judge in charlottesville where the suit was originally filed. >> old town square in fairfax city is all decked out for the holidays and ready to go for tomorrow's tree lighting event. the tree is about 20 feet high. it sits near the corner of the downtown park which the mayor called a crown jewel of the downtown. he tells news 4 he'll be right there to light the tree tomorrow night at 5:30, despite the fact that he's just started treatments to fight cancer in his neck. the lighting follows a series of events that includes music, santa claus and model trains. >> looks good. v.j., what are we thinking for tomorrow? they'll be okay in terms of the ,g >> perfect. perfect weather for this time of year.

you know, it's supposed to be chrisch and cool and we'll have just that and there's not going to be any rain falling so love that as far as this evening goes we're talking about the holiday lights and bright lights and how about bright stars in the bright object of the night sky and that will be the international space station. the sun sets just before 5:00, about 6:30 this evening and 6:25 to be exact. for about three minutes you'll be able to catch the international space station making its path to the southeastern sky as it fades away. i've got a lot more information on my facebook page, what it is and how you can track it any time of year. 33 to 41 as we'll be clear and calm with the calm wind and temperatures drop really fast, and a cold start to the day tomorrow. so back on with the coats for the kids and the scarves, too, especially if you'll be headed to any christmas tree farms for tomorrow? manassas e warrenton and hearn donne and 52 around la plata and

gaith ursburg and also 52 degrees for a high temperature with sunshine across the area just like today. i think we'll be hard pressed to find a cloud in the sky. by lunchtime tomorrow i think we'll get around 50 degrees and just prior to about -- or just before 5:00 our temperatures should hold in the 50s. so for several hours tomorrow, it's going to feel very nice. sunday, we're talking about still, we're going to be picking up a few clouds and some high clouds coming in from the west. you'll see them around areas like la rhea, win chester and hagerstown and then a lot more clouds on monday. so that's when we get the next change that you'll notice. 40s to low 40s and the clouds move in and it will be quite cool and good weekend for going to the christmas tree farm. here's a look at your saturday and the high 53. a little higher on sunday and no rain for next week and still in the 50s and amelia segal has more on next week and a sneak

peek at next weekend. >> thanks, v.j. this is an easy way to decorate your house for the holidays and why police issued a public safety warning about these laser lights. >> a popular newspaper makes waves again with what

i'm scott macfarlane.

a statement from democratic candidate bernie sanders calling for rahm emanuel to resign. it's in reaction to the video that shows teenage laquan mcdonald being shot 16 times by police more than a year ago. the statement just in says i join with those calling for a federal investigation calling into the chicago police department. furthermore, any official who helps suppress the video of laquan mcdonald's murder, no one should be shielded by power or position. mayor emanuel already asked the police superintendent to resign and the officer who shot mcdonald faces a first-degree murder charge. chris? you see these outside, more and more local homes, but some popular outdoor holiday lights are causing some unexpected problems. the decorations use lasers to light up the outside of homes and the most popular version is

the as seen on tv star shower. it could have the same effect as pointing a laser at a passing plane. a couple of weeks ago they distracted a coast guard pilot. bobby ratliff explains what it's like to be hit by been of these beams. >> with the news helicopter i've been hit with a red laser in manassas. now red, i think is better than green. it was a nuisance, and it was distracting and it was good weather conditions and i just pedal turned the helicopter away, so i put my back to whoever it was and it was over with. >> there haven't been any cases of people deliberately using the lights to distract pilots. in fact, if you look at the kit, people living within ten miles of an airport should lower the angle of the light so it doesn't point toward the sky. right now we continue to follow breaking news in california. we have new information emerging about the motive behind the mass shooting. the new evidence found inside

the couple's home and a pledge to isis. live team coverage next. news reporters: it's a fish, but it's been changed.

genetically altered by scientists. critics call the process creepy, and label it frankenfish. narrator: genetically engineered salmon was just approved by the fda - no labels required. disturbing, right? get this. if your state wants to label gmos, congress is trying a year-end sneak attack to block your right to label. call congress. demand clear labels, not high tech gimmicks.

don't let them overturn state gmo labeling. protect our right to know. the woman suspected of the san bernardino shootings went on facebook and pledged allegiance to the leader of isis. that's what law enforcement sourcers telling nbc news. >> we have team coverage of the shootings which are now being

investigate as an act of terrorism. >> steve handelsman is live with the political fallout and we start with jinah kim live in san bernardino. >> reporter: hi there, pat. facebook which is cooperating with federal investigators says tashfeen malik posted her loyalty to isis as the attacks were going on on wednesday. so social media, along with a pair of destroyed cell phones that were recovered in a trash can are playing a critical role. just two days after the mass shooting that took the lives of 14 people, investigators are zeroing in on the couple's motivation behind the attack. >> we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism. >> reporter: federal officials say tashfeen malik, the female suspect, pledged her allegiance to isis on social media. malik made the post on facebook under a different name and then deleted it, but investigators were able to recover it. >> we're looking into it.

>> the fbi do not believe isis had direct involvement with her or her husband syed rizwan farook and others are being investigated. officials don't know if other attacks were planned, but are concerned the couple was flying under the radar. >> it didn't make sense. they didn't seem like the type. >> the hard drive is gone. >> today at the couple's rented home in nearby redlands the media was allowed free access to the apartment by the landlord after it was cleared by the fbi. media had no access to the garage which had been converted into a bomb-making lab complete with explosive powders and igniters. investigators recovered lard drives and other media that the couple attempted to destroy, but the fiber confident that they'll be able to access whatever the suspects didn't want them to know. meanwhile, victims families cautioned against blaming the entire faith community. >> these are the two that did it. focus on that and that's it.

>> reporter: an investigation now focused on an act of terrorism. an fbi director james comey said a few minutes ago that so far there are no indications that the couple was part of a terror cell or larger organization. live in san bernardino, jinah kim, back to you. >> our live team coverage continues with steve handelsman who is live on capitol hill. as you might expect, there is a lot of political fallout. >> there is fallout, but what fbi director comey said changes the dynamic of the politics with the fbi warning that besides the facebook post there is no solid connection to isis. president obama and hillary clinton seemed a bit vindicated. they're the ones who have not talked about an isis connection even though republicans here in washington and on the campaign trail and law enforcement sources have. it's federal investigators calling the attack an act of terror and revealing the

27-year-old shooter tashfeen malik pledged allegiance to the head of isis, but there's no indication the california couple worked for isis. said the fbi director -- >> so far we have no indication that these killers are part of an organized larger group or form part of a cell and president obama's spokesmen now still won't blame the attack on radical islamic terror. >> i'm not in a position to confirm it. >> reporter: he did confirm that syed farook, malik faced a less rigorous background checked than checks faced by muslim refugees and earnest confirmed those checks are under review because of wednesday's shooters was a woman. women refugees now might get the same tough background checks that male refugees get. hillary clinton today. >> we're going to have to be really focused on going after anybody who poses a threat to us no matter how they get here. >> reporter: but republicans are

slamming clinton and president obama for their reactions to san bernardino. >> 48 hours after this is over they're still out there talking about gun control measures as if somehow terrorists care what our gun laws are. >> reporter: the scramble is to find potential terrorists before the next san bernardino. >> and despite the campaign rhetoric and despite the disagreement whether to call the killers islamic terrorists and experts on both sides agree, preventing a similar attack in the future will be very difficult. >> i'm steve handelsman, news 4. "the new york daily news" is not letting up on its assault on the national rifle association and the man who runs it. today's front page screams he's a terrorist with a picture of syed farook on the top right and the suspected killers with the planned parenthood and charleston church attacks and the newtown killer. they put a photo of wayne

lapier lapierre, the new york daily news has been going after him for years. we have more coverage of the massacre ahead. coming up, we'll hear from the first officer when arrived on the scene in san bernardino. what he saw and what he told the victims. it was a beautiful day. currently we're at 51 degrees and a gorgeous sunset taking place and the sunset now at 4:45 and as the sun goes down, temperatures are going to drop quickly. you'll want a warmer coat. by 7:00 p.m. we're down 43 degrees with clear skies and it will be dry this evening and dry for the entire weekend and a chilly 40 degrees at that point and here is the weekend outlook getting the tree nice both days and warmer on sunday, come nearly perfect for a first weekend in december. you can expect temperatures in the 40s this evening, tomorrow evening and sunday evening, as well. coming up in just over ten minutes, i'll have the hour by hour temperature forecast and

how you'll warm up on saturday and sunday and more on the iss path tonight. pat? >> thanks, amelia. investigators are examining a house that sustained severe damage after catching fire this morning. chopper 4 flew over the scene shortly it happened and a woman in the house did get out despite suffering serious injuries. a shocking mall santa, why he ended up lying on the ground for christmas photos. >> hover boards are the hot holiday present this year, but there is new fear that some of these could explode.

>> it's a holiday tradition. you take your children to the mall and they pose for a picture on santa's lap. well, this santa in charlotte, north carolina went out of his way to connect with a little boy with autism. braden deeley didn't want to sit on santa's lap so st. nick got down on the floor where braden felt a lot more comfortable.

>> social situations get very difficult for him so having the ability for him to come in and set an appointment and give him the experience of a typical child was huge for him and huge for us as parents. >> during the event co-sponsored by the group autism speaks. each child got 15 minutes of one-on-one with santa in a sensory-friendly environment. >> there are so many kids that still need a mom and dad and the adopt a child expo. including prospective parents just trying to find out where to start the a dopdoption process. they will be there to share their experiences and offer some advice and nbc 4, we've been pretty passionate for years to help families who will start with foster care. it runs until 3:00 and it's at the carnegie library in northwest d.c. could your christmas present

explode? the concerns over those popular new hover boards. unspeakable carnage. straight ahead, an account from the first officer to

right now at 4:45, an act of terrorism. the fbi says the two killers in wednesday's mass shooting planned their attack extensively. officials say the woman pledged allegiance to isis shortly before the massacre. we're gathering more information and we'll bring you live team coverage. >> it is open again and la bonne biere opened. after isis terrorists killed five people there. the gunmen killed a total of 130 people in the attacks three weeks ago and other places the terrorists targeted are still closed. >> a bomb squad detonated a suspicious device in boston this afternoon and police arrested

and charged darren pantini. a homeland security officer discovered the package while he was on routine patrol. police released a photo of the suspect. the police commissioner says at this time nothing is leading authorities to believe there were explosives in that suitcase. this afternoon music fans are reeling from the news that scott weiland was found dead on his tour bus. he was from the stone teflel pil pilots. his facebook page says he passed away in his sleep last night and weiland was 48 years old and he'd struggled with drugs and went to rehab several times and there's no conclusive rule that that played a role in his death. >> a family is cleaning up fire damage after a hover board went up in flames and a woman was

using hers when something went wrong. >> she felt it get hot, she jumped off and it was in flames. she wanted this so bad, was so excited, loving it, nine days old and zooming through the house, my two younger kids, they loved it and it was going fine. >> a lot of kids want those this year. hover boards are among the hottest gifts so far this holiday season. >> unfortunately, that fire in florida isn't all that rare. nbc's randy gyllenhaal has more. >> reporter: it's a clear sign you're living in the future, hover boards on christmas lists, celebrities flying them around town. >> the celebrities started riding them and everyone wanted them and we started stocking them in the store and they started selling consistently. >> reporter: at local stores it's the hot new holiday item the crawly family getting desperate pleas from their teenage son. >> we were planning on whether

getting him one or not. >> reporter: just weeks before christmas, parents should know that some cities like new york have banned them from the streets and some hoverer boards have literally caught fire. >> i cannot believe this, y'all. >> in louisiana, a battery set a family's home ablaze and some airlines won't allow them onboard. >> the reason they're catching fire is they're not using fast-cooling motors. >> he says you get what you pay for. >> that's the reason our price is slightly higher. a lot of people called hover board and we prefer to call it roller board because technically it doesn't hover. it rolls. >> roller board is based in philadelphia and their model uses cooling motors which prevents overheating. >> this is like riding a bike for the first time. >> expect to spend at least $400, but the less you spend the higher the risk because of cheaper parts and don't forget safety gear. >> helmet, knee pads, elbow

pads. it's not hard to find videos of kids falling down and they try to go faster and take it very slowly. >> i'm getting the hang of it here. >> all right. >> nbc news. now that the holiday shopping season is kicking into overdrive it seems every day has become cyber monday. it's started a shipping war of sort. businesses are competing to get items delivered faster than ever before and now competitors including best buy and google express are playing catch-up with amazon. they've been the aggressive leader when it comes to shopping speed. >> they just want to get it to you as fast as possible so they're going to use any means at their disposal and that's why drones could be one leg of that. >> now thieves are also taking advantage of all of your online shopping that goes to 23 million americans have had packages stolen right off their doorsteps. experts recommend shipping to a

safe place and opting for a signature. now to an inspirational story about community, brotherhood and football. sharif and malaikai williams are twins and they live in the district. what sharif was born he weighed one pound and doctors diagnosed him with tourette's. the coach of the pop warner panthers made a unique arrangement with other teams. the opposing team and their coaches would let their player know, don't tackle number 6. everyone said we're giving a special moment to an entire moment, but it extends out to the entire league. >> you saw that video from the "today" show. they're in the running to win a trip to super bowl 50 through a contest that the "today" show is running. and now your storm team 4 forecast. >> and the weather as we head on into the weekend looking spectacular. temperatures will be in the 50s for a high and plenty of

sunshine both days. here are your weather headlines and the first one talking about great weekend weather, whatever your outdoor plans are the weather is cooperating and a little rain chance not only over the weekend and not until the upcoming week and wait until the seven day and mild temperatures for december and the high around 50 degrees and just about every day we'll be above that and overall the climate prediction center is saying that this month should have temperatures for the most part running above normal. tomorrow, the weather having a low impact on your day, and brilliant sunshine and nice, calm wind and right now we're at 51 degrees with clear skies and winds are not an issue and only 9 miles an hour and not blustery like it was yesterday. you can catch the iss flyover tonight and i'll be posting this on my facebook page, this information and you can find it on my twitter page. you want to look at southwest at 6:25 this evening and it's three minutes long and it will fade in

the south-southeastern sky. something you can do tonight with clear skies in place and plenty of sunshine throughout the day tomorrow and here's your hourly planner and 7:00 a.m. and the temperature around 38 degrees and with plenty of sun you warm up nicely with a high tomorrow of 53 and we'll hit that at about 3:00 p.m. and maybe a scarf, but for the most part we're looking at again, really nice weather and that trend continues on sunday with a high of 55 degrees and temps in the low 50s and the temperature at that point of 50 degrees. on monday, more clouds in the forecast and a high temperature of 52. tuesday, a mix of clouds and sun and a high of 50. plenty of clouds around wednesday, thursday and friday as the storm passes to the east and look at that near 60 degrees thursday and friday and veronica will have the temperature for the redskins game coming up on news 4 at 5:00. >> thanks, amelia. >> we're looking several

developing stories in the newsroom and a body has been found in a popular park in alexandr alexandria. >> we got word that they were conducting a suspicious investigation in 4 mile run and tracee wilkins is at the scene gathering details and she'll join us with a live report in ten minutes. >> a police officer is in the hospital after being critically hurt on duty. noah leotta was hit by an suv last night during a traffic stop in rockville. we'll have the latest on his condition and tell you what police are saying about the investigation coming up in a couple of minutes. >> just fundamentally change how we do things. >> i'm scott macfarlane and the news 4 i-team is following an investigation for news 4 at 5:00. government workers, having sex on the job, sleeping on the job, drunk on the job, but keeping their jobs. our report upcoming will raise questions about who gets punished and how they get punished inside local medical

centers run by the u.s. department of veterans affairs and whether workers who blow the whistle are being retaliated against coming up in just minutes right here on news 4. massacre. the first officer to arrive at the scene of the shooting in san

authorities in new mexico are looking for a suspect in a massive jewelry heist. according to police a man walked into a santa fe jewelry store and walked out with more than a million dollars in jewelry. what makes this crime so unusual is that store workers didn't know he had taken the jewelry until the suspect was long gone. after thennichecking surveillan video police believe he's the same guy behind another burglary at a store last year. one of the first to respond to the mass shooting in san bernardino was a police officer who normally works a desk job. he's a 24-year veteran of the

force, but admits nothing prepared him for what he saw. [ sirens ] >> we have at least 20 victims. >> although we train for it, it's something that you're never actually prepared for. we have an active shooter and we have an active shooter going on in our city. there were victims who were clearly -- obviously deceased outside of the conference room. >> several down in the conference room. several down. >> as we entered into the conference room, the situation was surreal. it was unspeakable, the carnage that we were seeing, the number of people who were injured and unfortunately already dead, and the pure panic on the face of those individuals that were still in need. the initial 50 people did not want to come to us. they were fearful and they were in the back hallway area and

that actually heightened my concern and my fear that potentially the suspects were in that hallway holding them hostage. that was a difficult choice to have to make, as well, passing people that we knew were injured and needed assistance, but our goal at that time had to be trying to locate the shooters. >> i'll take a bullet before you, that's for sure. be cool, okay? >> i did the job that i was supposed to do. my job was to go in there and people don't call the police because they're having a great day. they call because there's tragedy going on and this was tragedy that i've never experienced in my career. >> our coverage of the san bernardino shootings continues right now at 5:00 with jim and doreen. >> thank you, pat. >> there are a number of new developments coming in from the california mass shooting tonight. >> here's what we know right now at 5:00. the fbi is now investigating wednesday's shooting in san

bernardino as an act of terror. we have also learned that police want to speak with syed farook, and that person purchased two semiautomatic rifles. >> farook's wife pledged allegiance to the leader of isis just before the attack on facebook. we want to start with jay gray and how the couple tried to cover their tracks before the rampage. >> we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism. >> a stunning discovery in the case this morning. nbc news has learned tashfeen malik pledged allegiance to the leader of isis in a facebook post just before she and her husband syed farook killed 14 and wounded more than 20 during an attack at the inland regional center wednesday. >> this took days, weeks, if not months to plan out. there's nothing impulsive about this shooting at all. >> reporter: investigators continued to pore over evidence

from the couple's redlands' home and there was evidence that farook had been talking to people in the u.s. and overseas during the past year who showed an interest in radical jihad. >> what i'm ready to confirm is there are some telephonic connections between these two individuals and at least one of these individuals and other subjects of our investigation. >> reporter: but nbc news has learned the couple tried to cover their digital footprint, destroying computer hard drives and cell phones prior to carrying out the mass shooting, and as investigators try to understand why, so does farook's family. his brother-in-law sat down overnight with nbc's lester holt. >> did somebody brain wash him? something snap him? >> reporter: and why would the couple choose to carry out this attack and leave behind their 6-month-old daughter? questions and grief that still fill this tight-knit community. jay gray, nbc news, san bernardino, california. here at the live